World Alliance for Citizen Participation

A Free Weekly Newsletter Promoting Civic Existence, Expression & Engagement Please send contributions, comments and questions to editor@civicus.org.

08 August 2008 ISSUE No. 401 PUBLISHER CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Ingrid Srinath MANAGING EDITOR Eric Muragana EDITORS Julie Middleton Nastasya Tay OCCASIONAL CONTRIBUTORS Carol Baloyi Elisaberth Robson Irfan Mufti Natalia Kiryttopoulou Mandeep Tiwana Vicente García-Delgado, Esq ABOUT e-CIVICUS  The CIVICUS weekly electronic publication is keeping tens of thousands of people informed of the developments taking place in civil society, the factors that are affecting them and the impact they are having on creating an informed and knowledgeable civil society.  e-CIVICUS WELCOMES CONTRIBUTIONS OF CIVIL SOCIETY NEWS e-CIVICUS offers a useful channel through which you and your organisation can share your news, publicise your events and articulate the issues you face. Please send us your contributions no later than Tuesday for publication in the coming week to editor@civicus.org. All contributions must focus on civil society issues or have a civil society angle. To read the contribution guidelines, click here.  REPRODUCTION OF e-CIVICUS Readers are welcome to reproduce, in part or in full, all sections of this newsletter, however please request permission to do so first. When reproducing or retransmitting content, please credit sources and authors. The content of this newsletter can be translated into another language and reproduced in other publications, as long as due acknowledgment is made to CIVICUS.  e-CIVICUS DISCLAIMER Although CIVICUS makes all reasonable efforts to obtain prima-facie reliable content for  e-CIVICUS  , CIVICUS cannot guarantee the accuracy of the reports, views or opinions of third-party content providers, nor does CIVICUS necessarily endorse the views reflected therein. Opinions expressed by contributors to  e-CIVICUS  are solely those of the individual writers and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of CIVICUS, its Board of Directors, managers or staff, or any CIVICUS members or partners. We request that readers exercise caution and alert us immediately if they suspect any fraudulent or incorrect material has been included in our publication. Please do send your comments and suggestions to  editor@civicus.org.  CONTACT US P.O. Box 933 Southdale, 2135  South Africa  Tel: +27 11 833 5959 Fax:+27 11 833 7997 1112 16th Street NW, Suite 540  Washington D.C.  20036 USA Tel: +202 331-8518 Fax: +202 331-8774 Websites: www.civicus.org www.civicusassembly.org To subscribe or unsubscribe: email subscriptions@civicus.org TELL A FRIEND Do you have a friend who works for a more just world? Would you like to share this newsletter with them? Please forward their e-mail address to subscriptions@civicus.org We value your comments, suggestions and contributions. Speak to us at editor@civicus.org Support CIVICUS To make an on-line donation, click here. Join CIVICUS Join or renew your CIVICUS Membership on-line now, click here.  Civil Society Watch Monthly Bulletin The CIVICUS e-newsletter Civil Society Watch Monthly Bulletin  is an action-oriented newsletter distributed to over 7,400 people around the world, featuring insightful interviews, updates on threats to civil society, and analyses of current situations. Read more at www.civicus.org. CIVICUS blog What do you think? Have your say on the CIVICUS Blog! CIVICUS seeks to amplify the voices and opinions of ordinary people and give expression to the enormous creative energy within civil society. Our recently launched blog gives you the opportunity to use your voice and engage with the rest of civil society. Have your say by visiting http://civicus.civiblog.org

FROM THE DESK OF CIVICUS' SECRETARY GENERAL Send your comments and contributions to editor@civicus.org. View from civil society: Key political challenges for social justice in Africa By Ingrid Srinath, CIVICUS Secretary General Dear friends and colleagues, Last weekend, I had the honour of speaking to the All-Africa Synergos Senior Fellows, the African arm of a global network dedicated to addressing the issues of poverty, equity and social justice that I am privileged to belong to (www.synergos.org). I’d like to share with you the highlights of that address, because despite its Africa focus, it raises issues that I believe are relevant in many parts of our world. ‘Most of the millions worst impacted by inequities in trade, indebtedness, climate change, conflict and HIV AIDS live in Africa. How is civil society in Africa doing? CIVICUS co-ordinates a participatory study of the state of civil society in 54 countries across the world called the Civil Society Index (CSI). 10 of the countries it has studied thus far are in Africa. The key challenges for civil society across Africa are, in my view, accurately summed up in the CIVICUS CSI report for Uganda which asks: “Will civil society confine itself to a somewhat docile role, focusing on service delivery and sub-contracting from government? Or will it further develop its capacity to question the socio-political make-up? Striving to augment its autonomy, its sense of independent identity, its cohesion and local ownership?” To read more on this week's column, click here. CIVICUS concerned about extension of pre-trial detention in the UK CIVICUS has written to the UK House of Lords, expressing deep concern about the Counter-terrorism Bill, particularly the move to extend the period of pre-charge detention from 28 to 42 days. The Bill has passed through the House of Commons and now awaits approval in the House of Lords. The UK already has the highest period of pre-charge detention of any long standing democracy in the world. If passed, CIVICUS fears the Bill will undermine hard won civil liberties and fundamental fair trial standards. For more information, click here. Civil society’s response to the new Accra agenda for action Source: European Network on debt $ Development, (EURODAD), Belgium Political leaders have repeatedly committed to making aid better at delivering positive change for poor people, but their credibility is seriously at stake. Over 1,000 officials from donor and developing countries will meet in Accra on 2-4 September 2008 for the OECD High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness. The majority will be present courtesy of Official Development Assistance budgets. An agenda for inaction would be a scandalous outcome of this Forum. Civil society organisations (CSOs) would like to raise a number of objections to the final draft of the Accra Agenda for Action (25 July) and are calling on ministers from donor and developing countries, and heads of donor agencies to insist that these issues are discussed at the highest levels in Accra and addressed in the final outcome document. For more info rmation, click here.  Civil society under threat: Enhancing Security and Support CIVICUS Civil Society Watch presented a dynamic workshop at the 2008 World Assembly in Glasgow, Scotland,  discussing security strategies for civil society activists, including legal, digital and personal security. Participants spoke about the threats they face, and how they stay safe. For more information, click here.  China’s repression of civil society will haunt it By Minxin Pei, www.ft.com International visitors to Beijing during the Olympics will be impressed by the “Bird’s Nest” Olympic stadium, the millions of flowers adorning the streets of China ’s capital, and the freshly repainted façades of its buildings. What they may not realise is that all this represents the power of the state. In the run-up to the games, the government has mobilised unimaginable resources to make its capital a shining symbol of its success. Missing in this picture is China’s civil society: non-governmental organisations have been conspicuously absent in the preparations. For more info rmation, click here. CIVICUS Poll Question This week’s question: What is the primary role civil society is currently playing in your country/region: a docile role focusing on service delivery and sub-contracting from government? questioning the socio-political make-up of your country/region? augmenting its autonomy, independent identity, cohesion and local ownership? amplifying the voices of those most deprived of equity, justice and dignity? To answer the question, click here. Previous question: Is the World Trade Organisation serious about bridging the gap between the poor and rich?  Results: Yes - 90.9%, No - 9.1%, Don’t Know - 0% TELL A FRIEND ABOUT e-CIVICUS The e-CIVICUS newsletter keeps tens of thousands of people and organisations informed of the many developments taking place in civil society around the world. As a subscriber you know the value e-CIVICUS can bring to your work. So why keep it to yourself? Do you have a friend who works for a more just world? Would you like to share this newsletter with them? Why don’t you suggest they register for a free subscription? They can send us an e-mail to subscriptions@civicus.org or fill out the subscription form here. Alternatively, please forward their e-mail addresses to us and we’ll contact them on your behalf. Please send us your contributions no later than Monday every week to editor@civicus.org. All contributions must be focused on civil society issues or have a civil society angle. e-CIVICUS DIALOGUES Shaking up Development Finance in Latin America Source: C. P. Chandrasekhar & Jayati Ghosh, Forum on the Future of Aid The article analyses the emergence of the Bank of the South as an answer to the general disillusionment with the role of the International Financial Institutions (IFIs) in the region. These include not only the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank (WB), but also the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), which has some participation from Latin American countries but is dominated by the US. The article presents data on how IFIs have contributed little to development finance in Latin America in recent years. Indeed, in the Latin American region the IFIs - and official finance generally - have been negative net contributors to resources for development. For most of the recent period, the IMF has been a large recipient of repayment flows from countries in the region. For more information, click here.  Jordan Law on Societies 2008 enacted by National Assembly Source: International Center for Not-for-Profit Law The National Assembly of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan approved the Law on Societies of 2008. This controversial law places in jeopardy the right to freely form and operate associations, and now awaits the King’s approval. The Law on Societies was introduced by the government in early June, and has proceeded through the Parliament swiftly, with limited time for input by the public or the NGOs that will be affected by the law, despite clear and vocal opposition by the NGO community. A number of the law’s provisions raise concerns about infringement on the right to freedom of association guaranteed by Article 22 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) ratified by Jordan on 23 March 1976 and Article 24 of the Arab Charter on Human Rights which went into effect for Jordan on 15 March 2008. For more information, click here. Civil society: Climate Justice and Equity Source: Anup Shah, Climate Change and Global Warming A growing concern from developing countries and various NGOs is the need for public participation in global warming negotiations, given the disproportionately large impact of this on poorer countries. In some cases, climate change has already affected some small island nations. Climate justice, equity and sustainable development are all important parts of the debate, and are often left out of mainstream discourse. Equal rights to the atmosphere for all human beings and equity within and between nations are paramount. This implies, for example, that reduction percentages and emissions allowances should be based on a per-capita basis; a view held by many developing countries and the European Union - but a view that the United States disagrees with. For more information, click here. CIVIL SOCIETY NEWS Civil Society Act: Passed but not in practice in Bhutan Source: Centre for Bhutan Studies Pushed through the legislature and overwhelmingly passed by the National Assembly, the Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) Act was expected to play an important role in Bhutan ’s new political system. A year has passed and the CSO Act has yet to be enforced. Chief Justice Lyonpo Sonam Tobgye, who drafted the Act with other judiciary officials, said that it would ensure transparency and accountability in the functioning of non-government organisations (NGOs) and also specify their roles and responsibilities. The Act also states that an independent CSO authority will be set up after its enactment and that all CSOs will have to register with the authority. For more info rmation, click here.  No country for charitable souls in Russia Source: Svetla Marinova, http://eurasianet.org The Russian Government appears to be implementing a plan to bring Russia’s non-governmental sector under the Kremlin’s control. The idea has been to call for the attention of civil society activists -- first by pushing out Western organisations now operating in Russia and secondly by replacing them with Russian entities that are beholden to the country’s political leadership. For more info rmation, click here.  Civil society to file motion in intervention before Supreme Court in Philippines Source: Minda News “As primary stakeholders of the peace process in Mindanao, a Motion in Intervention before the Supreme Court is being filed to allow the magistrates to listen to the voices of the peace-loving majority in Mindanao,” said the statement issued by CSO representatives who are attending the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD). For more info rmation, click here.  Building a new paradigm in state-civil society relations in Indonesia Source: Jakarta Post Indonesia, represented by a team of students from the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), won the Rural Innovation Achievement Award at the 2008 Worldwide Imagine Cup held in Paris this month. It was source of national pride that members of young generation were able to attain success at this highly competitive international contest. The award was granted to the students for their software solution that contributes towards a sustainable environment and benefits the social and economic growth of under-served communities in developing countries. For more information, click here.  Uzbekistan, Japan share experience in supporting NGOs Source: Turkish Weekly As reported, a roundtable meeting on the "Development of NGOs in Uzbekistan: achievements, problems and prospects" was held on 26-30 June in Tokyo (Japan) within the frame of the events dedicated to the 60th anniversary of the Universal Human Rights Declaration. The very fact of the Uzbek NGOs' participation in such an experience-sharing event is a landmark for the young and developing democracy of Uzbekistan. Gradual institutionalisation of the third sector in Uzbekistan has been relatively short compared to their evolution in other democracies over the centuries. For more information, click here.  Nobel Prize Award winning Soviet dissident Solzhenitsyn dies at 89 Source: The New York Times The Soviet Union's most famous dissident and Nobel Prize winning writer Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn died last Sunday evening at the age of 89. His literary works, including the novel "A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich" and the narrative, "The Gulag Archipelago" awoke readers to the horrors of the Soviet system. Solzhenitsyn won the 1970 Nobel Prize for Literature. Jurists praised the "The ethical force with which he has pursued the indispensable traditions of Russian literature." For more information, click here.  Civil society welcomes former ULFA cadres move to restore peace in India Source: Newspost Online It is not just the general population who are supporting the efforts of the former United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) cadres to bring about peace in Assam. Also lending their voice for the cause are intellectuals in state. In their effort to restore normalcy, the former cadres of ULFA’s 28th battalion have now become peacemakers and are establishing links with all sections of the civil society and opinion makers in the state. For more info rmation, click here. MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS & GLOBAL CALL TO ACTION AGAINST POVERTY GCAP letter sent to UN Government Missions in advance of the UN High Level Event on MDGs on September 25 Source: Global call to Action against Poverty (GCAP) The Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP), as the world’s biggest anti-poverty coalition, welcomes the UN Secretary-General’s leadership in calling for 2008 to be a year of ‘unprecedented progress for the poorest of the poor,’ and his convening with the President of the UN General Assembly the High Level Event on the Millennium Development Goals on September 25th. GCAP represents tens of millions of people and thousands of organisations in more than 100 countries. On 17 October 2007, 43.7 million people “Stood Up” in support of the MDGs and against Poverty and Inequality. The open letter seeks to ensure that the High Level Event re-energises the MDG process and places the world on a good footing. To sign the open letter, click here. World meeting Millennium Development Goals says UNICEF report Source: Thaindian News Global achievement of health-related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), depends largely on India’s success and on China accelerating progress even further, according to a new UNICEF report which examines the latest trends in child and maternal health. In this years 'State of Asia-Pacific Children 2008', UNICEF says it is a fundamental truth that unless India chieves major improvements in health, nutrition, water and sanitation, education, gender equality and child protection, global efforts to reach the MDGs will fail. China too needs to make significant strides to regain early progress it made in child survival. For more info rmation, click here. GCAP calls for new approach to trade negotiations that is fair and development-centred  Source: Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP) The collapse of the seven-year Doha Development round of trade talks leaves millions of poor people condemned to struggle against a hugely unjust global trading mechanism that favours the rich. Global anti-poverty campaigners in the GCAP alliance are renewing their call for trade agreements to be reached that are fair and just. “We have been shouting loudly (44 million last October) for trade justice since 2005. The development round must put people who live in poverty front and centre of discussions. We wanted solutions that made their lives better and not just secure the livelihoods of the rich,” said Kumi Naidoo, Co-Chair of the Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP). “Given that the present food price crisis is working against the Millennium Goals and killing people, especially women and children, elderly and the sick, the need for agreement was more urgent than ever.” Naidoo added. For more info rmation, click here.  Will Doha, like Dracula, come back from the dead? By Walden Bello and Mary Lou Malig Like the good Count of Transylvania, the so-called Doha Round of trade negotiations of the World Trade Organisation collapsed twice--the first time during the Cancun Ministerial Meeting in September 2003, the second during the so-called Group of Four meeting in Geneva in June 2006--only to come back from the dead. But has the silver stake that will render Doha truly and really dead finally been driven through its heart by the unraveling of the most recent 'mini-ministerial' gathering in Geneva? For more info rmation, click here. 10th anniversary of national poverty hearings in Africa Source: Patrick Burnett, Mail & Guardian Online The 1998 Speak Out on Poverty hearings, facilitated by the South African National NGO Coalition (SANGOCO), drew 10,000 participants and heard heartbreaking evidence from nearly 600 people in the country's nine provinces, who talked about the hardships of living in poverty. A report from the hearings concluded that poverty was about an ongoing struggle with starvation, lack of access to shelter, services, income and jobs. It described poverty as the violation of the right to basic resources. For the first time, hearings are planned in other African countries, with the idea that information gathered will be used as a lobbying tool as the United Nations gears up to review progress on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), targets set by world leaders to halve poverty by 2015. Among the organisers of the 2008 hearings are African Monitor, founder Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane, as well as the Southern Africa Trust, the Congress of South African Trade Unions, Black Sash, the South African Council of Churches, Sangoco and the Human Rights Commission. For more information, click here.  GET INVOLVED! Olympic Watch issues Public Appeal to Beijing Olympic Athletes and IOC Source: DemocracyNews, World Movement for Democracy On 31 July, Olympic Watch issued a public appeal calling on Olympic athletes to express themselves in support of people whose rights are being violated by the Chinese government and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to allow full access to info rmation at the Beijing Olympics. A statement endorsing the appeal has also been signed by various international leaders. The signatories, including writer and former Czech president Václav Havel, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Chinese dissident Wei Jingsheng, European Parliament Vice-President Edward McMillan-Scott, and philosopher André Glucksmann, reject the notion that the peaceful promotion of human rights constitutes political propaganda prohibited by the Olympic Charter. The signatories call on the IOC to allow Olympic athletes to learn about the real situation in China and to point out human rights violations freely in line with their conscience. For more information, click here.  Join the Online Volunteering service Join the Online Volunteering (OV) service if you want to apply for an online volunteering assignment or if you want to submit an assignment on behalf of your organisation. The Online Volunteering Team of the Year Award presents an opportunity for both, online volunteers and organisations, to bring their online volunteering experiences and good practices to the attention of a global audience. For more information, click here. ACCOUNTABILITY 2007 Global Accountability Report Source: One World Trust, www.oneworldtrust.org The 2007 Global Accountability Report assesses thirty of the world's most powerful organisations from intergovernmental, non-governmental, and corporate sectors. The Report analyses each organisation's capabilities according to the four dimensions of accountability as defined by the Global Accountability Framework: transparency, participation, evaluation, and complaint and response mechanisms. For more information, click here.  Feedback from primary constituents of children and family serving agencies Source: www.KeystoneAccountability.org Organisations providing critical services to vulnerable children and families need to better determine the status of their relationships with the end users of their services, as well as their own effectiveness, in order to advance meaningful change in their communities. In the USA, Keystone, the Alliance for Children and Families (ACF) and United Neighborhood Centers of America (UNCA) are undertaking a planning process whose goal is to prepare the organisations within the human services field for the implementation of a pilot of a comparative constituency feedback project which will allow them to engage in a mutually accountable learning relationship with their constituents. For more information, click here. A crucial moment for transparency and accountability in Zimbabwe Transparency International Press Statement Transparency International’s chapters in Africa , as members of a global coalition dedicated to the fight against corruption, urge all parties currently involved in talks that will determine the future of Zimbabwe to guarantee full transparency of the political process. Only by establishing a climate of transparency and accountability can Zimbabwe’s leaders ensure credibility of the talks that will overcome Zimbabwe’s deep political, economic and humanitarian crisis. Transparency International strongly believes that a viable solution and a society free of corruption and founded on transparency can only be possible where political leaders are accountable towards civil society. For more information, click here. CIVIL SOCIETY ACTIVISM AND GLOBAL INSTITUTIONS Global cooperation: An imperative to achieve global solution to global problems Source: Manila Bulletin The first-ever Development Cooperation Forum was held recently by the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations to examine how well countries are doing and on cooperative development initiatives. Many social and economic problems that were in the past viewed as isolated domestic concerns have grown to become regional and global concerns. Worsening poverty, malnutrition, armed conflicts, ballooning populations, soaring prices of essential commodities, social unrest, worsening climate change - these are some of the problems that transcend territorial boundaries, necessitating the collective response of world leaders as well as civil society groups. For more information, click here.  Financing for Development breaks new ground, but misses key development finance issues Source: European Network on Debt $ Development The first draft of the Doha Outcome Document on “Reviewing the Implementation of the Monterrey Consensus” which will be negotiated during September and October and, hopefully, approved at the Doha Conference at the end of November, has been published. This first draft is the result of inter-governmental discussions - review sessions and informal consultations held during the first half of this year - as well as hearings with civil society and the business sector. Civil society groups in the North and the South - as well as Southern governments - have since been disappointed by the failure of Northern governments to live up to the commitments made in Monterrey. In 2007, aid levels decreased, threatening the volumes of Official Development Assistance (ODA) available for achieving the Millennium Development Goals set for 2010 and 2015. For more information, click here.  Gulf Coast Justice and Solidarity Source: Environmental Justice and Climate Change Initiative The Environmental Justice and Climate Change Initiative is a diverse, consensus-based group of U.S. environmental justice, climate justice, religious, policy, and advocacy networks working together to promote just and meaningful climate policy. Its mission is to educate and activate the people of North America towards the creation and implementation of just climate policies in both domestic and international contexts. To that end, the initiative trains new leaders and pushes for policies that protect the most vulnerable from the impacts of climate change and foster a just transition to a future free from fossil fuels. The Initiative supports energy efficiency, renewable energy, and conservation policies while seeking equitable measures to protect and assist the communities most affected by climate change. For more info rmation, click here.  Rights and opportunity critical for people living longer with HIV Source: AfroNews The global response to HIV/AIDS have been encouraged to prioritise activities that would create a world where people infected with HIV can lead full lives with dignity, purpose and access to opportunity. This was emphasised at the Ford Foundation's meeting ahead of the international AIDS conference in Mexico City. The meeting, which brought together donors, government agencies, NGOs and others, was aimed at supporting initiatives that advance human rights, elevate leaders from marginalised groups to the highest levels of AIDS movement, promote government accountability on both medical and social progress, as well as ensuring equitable distribution of HIV/AIDS programmes and services. For more info rmation, click here. CAPACITY BUILDING   Capacity building for equitable access Source: David Souter, Association for Progressive Communications (APC) Policy-makers and regulators “cannot be supermen and superwomen,” says African info rmation and communications technologies (ICTs) policy analyst Professor F.F. Tusubira. Instead, he says, they need to create an environment where “savvy” entrepreneurs can bring value to customers. While there are many points of agreement on how to understand the key challenges facing policy activists who want to unlock the potential of ICTs more vigorously for the poor, exchanges between experts often raise quite straightforward yet intriguing questions, such as: Do those with entrepreneurial spirit and energy need to be taught, or are they self-taught? Is it patronising for an outsider to intervene? When it comes to ICTs, who are the outsiders? And do remedies for the digital divide ignore similar divide debates that have gone on in other sectors decades ago? For more information, click here.  PROFILES DONOR: The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation was established in 1966 to solve social and environmental problems at home and around the world. The foundation is now one of the largest in the United States with assets of more than $6.7 billion. The Foundation concentrates its resources on activities in education, environment, global development, performing arts, and population. In addition, the Foundation has programmes that make grants to advance the field of philanthropy, and to support disadvantaged communities in the San Francisco Bay Area. Grantee institutions - non-profit organisations and, in some cases, government entities - are essential partners in achieving the Foundation’s mission; a principle that is reflected in the high proportion of the Foundation's grants budget allocated to general operating support. For more information, click here.   MEMBER: Montreal International Forum's (FIM) The Montreal International Forum's (FIM) believes that the stated goals of the United Nations (UN) are beyond reasonable reproach and its mission is to assist meaningfully in bringing them to fruition. FIM believes that transparent and democratic multilateralism offers the best hope for global governance. In order to best meet this challenge, FIM endeavours to strengthen the influence of the voice of Southern civil society within in all debates and activities affecting global governance. The FIM Secretariat is located in Montréal. FIM is the host of the 2009 CIVICUS World Assembly, to be held in Montreal, Canada. For more info rmation, click here.  BOOKS, REPORTS & RESOURCES  New journal launched on Climate and Development Source: Earthscan Published by Earthscan, in partnership with the Global Change System for Analysis, Research and Training (START), and supported by the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA), Climate and Development is the first academic journal dedicated to the range of issues that arise when climate variability, climate change and climate policy are considered along with development needs, impacts and priorities. It aims to make complex analysis of climate and development issues accessible to a wide audience of researchers, policymakers and practitioners, and to facilitate debate between the diverse constituencies active in these fields throughout the world. The journal provides a forum to communicate research, review and discussion on the interfaces between climate, development, policy and practice. For more info rmation, click here. New report on Race Statistics in Scotland launched Source: Glasgow Anti Racist Alliance With the lack of info rmation on race and racism increasingly acknowledged, the Glasgow Anti Racist Alliance (GARA) has launched its “State of the Nation - Race and Racism in Scotland 2008” report, a collation of statistics and data relating to Black/Minority Ethnic (BME) people in Scotland. The statistics have been gathered from a number of sources, including Scottish Government publications, academic research, and studies carried out by voluntary organisations. The document highlights many discrepancies, such as a much increased rate of diabetes amongst BME communities but limited ethnic monitoring by the National Health Service and a significantly higher percentage of BME children in care. For more info rmation, click here. Study criticises "War on Terror": Calls for Law Enforcement Approach Source; Ivan Eland, Senior Fellow at the Independent Institute and director of the Center on Peace & Liberty The publication of "How Terrorist Groups End" - a thorough new report by RAND, a think-tank with historic ties to the U.S. military - vindicates critics of the "global war on terror" who have argued that a law-enforcement approach to fighting al-Qaeda, rather than a military war, with all the bluntness that wars entail, would have been better for protecting Americans. "The report concluded that the administration's war on terrorism has not significantly degraded al-Qaeda and that the group has morphed into a more formidable enemy," writes Ivan Eland. For more info rmation, click here.  Resource Book: How NGOs can use monitoring and advocacy to fight corruption Source: Impact Alliance (2008) Corruption is a major problem in many nations of the world - some would assert that it is becoming more extensive, and more areas of development activity are being affected. This resource book is intended to clarify and supply information and tools for dedicated NGOs in their fight against corruption. In addition, the book provides case studies of NGOs engaging in anti-corruption activities including an overview of the organisation and its programmes/projects. For more information, click here. CONFERENCES & EVENTS World Water Week  17-23 August 2008, Stockholm, Sweden The World Water Week is convened by a large number of civil society entities, governmental, intergovernmental and academic agencies. World Water Week in Stockholm is the leading annual global meeting place for capacity-building, partnership-building and follow-up on the implementation of international processes and programmes in water and development. The theme of the week is “Progress and Prospects on Water: For a Clean and Healthy World with Special Focus on Sanitation”. To register for the World Water Week, click here.  9th International Conference of Chief Justices of the World Global Symposium: ‘Awakening Planetary Consciousness’ 12-15 December 2008, Lucknow, India The Global Symposium is an annual event that has developed a world-wide movement through a global partnership with civil society and educational organisations to establish sustainable development, world unity and world peace. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for many to be proximate with some amazing people, aside from being able to directly help address major issues confronting the world today. Global Symposium is an internationally recognised civil society conference which alloys a high-standard conference and a diverse intercultural festival in its programme. The Conference is organised by the World Movement for Global Democracy (WMGD), an initiative of City Montessori School, Lucknow, India. Global Symposium 2008 will take place in parallel to the 9th International Conference of Chief Justices of the World (World Judiciary Summit 2008). For more information, click here. 4th SADC Civil Society Forum 13-15 August 2008, Johannesburg, South Africa The 4th Southern African Development Community (SADC) Civil Society Forum will take place during the SADC Heads of State or Government Summit. The theme for the 2008 Forum is "Regional Integration: From Protocols to Action". The Forum will focus on three sub-themes which will be discussed during the commissions such as Democracy & Good Governance: Rule of law, Participation, Transparency, Accountability, Elections); Poverty and Development: (Post-Mauritius Commitment, Food Security - Prices & Agriculture), and the Regional Economic Integration. For more info rmation, click here.   Third Global Congress of Women in Politics and Governance 19-22 October 2008, Manila, Philippines The Center for Asia-Pacific Women in Politics (CAPWIP), in partnership with the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UN/ISDR) and the Women's Environment and Development Organisation (WEDO) is organising the Third Global Congress of Women in Politics and Governance which will focus on the “Gender in Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction.” Women and environment experts have raised concern over the absence of women in the discourse and debate on climate change and disaster risk reduction, both of which are global mainstream issues that are currently impacting the entire world. The involvement of women in areas of environmental management and governance should not be perceived as an afterthought. For more info rmation, click here. FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES International Video Journalism Awards Application Deadline: 15 October 2008 The Video Journalism Awards is looking for non-fiction videos from single authors, or video journalists (VJs). A VJ is responsible for the whole creative process starting from research and shooting as well as covering the whole process of editing and sometimes even the publication of the film. The internet is converging all kinds of media, which is reflected by this year's theme "unlimited access". The awards try to cover all known fields of video journalism: films from TV stations and publishing companies as well as and productions from an independent background will be considered for a total 12.000 € of prize money, going to various categories: "independent and online" and "TV production". For more information, click here.  CALL FOR PAPERS, SUBMISSIONS, SURVEYS & NOMINATIONS Call for Submissions: “Women, Power and Politics” Online Exhibition Application Deadline: Open The International Museum of Women (IMOW) is accepting original artwork, essays, film shorts, poetry, photography and cartoons to be considered for its “Women, Power and Politics” online exhibition. “Women, Power and Politics” focuses on a provocative new topic each month and uses community-submitted work to start a dialogue on the issues. During August, IMOW will focus on the topic of democracy. Work can be submitted directly online in Arabic, English, French, and Spanish. To learn more about the topic and how to submit your work, click here.  APPOINTMENTS CURRENT JOBS International Head of Campaigns Application Deadline: 29 August 2008 ActionAid International Location: Johannesburg, South Africa For more information, click here.   Senior Finance Manager Application Deadline: 30 August 2008 American Bar Association DC Location: Washington, District of Columbia, United States For more information, click here. CONTACT e-CIVICUS e-CIVICUS is a free weekly online publication keeping tens of thousands of people, organisations and programmes informed of the many developments that are taking place in civil society organisations around the world, the many factors that are affecting the impact of civil society on creating a more just world. We value your comments and suggestions. Please send these to the Editorial Team at editor@civicus.org. 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